Random post

Happy Yaga Day

September 24, 2014

I’m declaring September 25th to forever more be Yaga Day. First, maybe you should know a bit about what Yaga is:

In 1986, a small retail store on Galveston Island, off the coast of Texas in the Gulf of Mexico, set the stage for an original t-shirt line that was spawned from the influence of the Caribbean West Indies. Founder Joe Flores, a native Galvestonian, was also inspired by an island vagrant who always greeted people with the word, “yaga.” (Yaga is a Jamaican slang term used as a greeting or a way to attract attention. The community came to associate the word with a mo’ bettah feeling.) Yaga blends cultures and lifestyles into a collection that is relaxed, fun, and stylish.

Not limited to a sport, season, or locale, Yaga embraces the vast visual imagery of different people and cultures. Yaga incorporates natural earth influences through classic cotton fabrics with weathered colorations to perpetuate dat’ timeless, relaxed island livin’.

You can read the rest of the story how the Galveston-based clothing store came to be on Galveston’s website. More than clothes, though, yaga is about hearing the message of hope, peace and love for all people. That’s not unlike anything you would hear me preach any given Sunday. But we’ll let Yaga Day be a little more easy going so that we can also learn to take it easy.

There is an island life. I’m not sure how to explain it, but it’s different. You’re oblivious to the salt that is constantly on your lips. Often it feels like you have hurricane water flowing through your veins–surely you have a hurricane story or two. The gulf breeze has often reminded me of the Spirit of God that hovered over the waters at creation.

So, what I would like for you to celebrate every September 25th is that easy, laid-back lifestyle. Forget how busy you are. Make it a point to relax and enjoy the day God gave you. Jesus reminded us that tomorrow will worry about itself. You only have today to live, and you should do all in your power to make each day count. Let Yaga Day be a time to start over, to recharge yourself so that you’re ready to face your life again. By the time most of us realize how short life truly is, we’ve already let much of it slip away.

Get to celebrating!

Throw an island-themed party. Wear a Yaga shirt. Play reggae music in your cubicle. Learn to appreciate peace and serenity. Search for hope and love. Ask God to calm your chaotic life. That’s what I’ll be doing. It’s what I need to do for my own well being, and it’s going to be a way I remember my sister. She loved living. She loved her island. She even loved Yaga.